People power is making it happen in today’s surging sustainable energy economy… Leading by example. Enjoy these first-hand accounts.
Ben Hornblow, Process Engineer, LM Glasfiber (www.lmglasfiber.com)
”Two weeks ago I got a new job in the wind turbine business! The company I’m working for is called LM Glasfiber, and they are the largest producer of wind turbine blades in the world. They are a Danish company based out of Lunderskov, Denmark (located in Jutland –the main peninsula attached to Germany), and they have manufacturing facilities in India, China, Spain, Canada, USA, Holland and Germany.
I have been hired as a engineer in the Product Review Department (our group is responsible for all the blades currently in production). One of my main tasks will be helping to develop processes and information networks within the organization that connect the various departments and manufacturing locations.
The objective is to develop a system for capturing and sharing all of LM’s accumulated blade design and manufacturing knowledge.
As part of our orientation week, we had a tour of a nearby 1 Megawatt wind turbine. The turbine had a blade length of 26.7m and a tower height of 60m (a baby compared to the 61.5m blades that we are now producing)! We climbed up to the nacelle (top part) wearing paint suits and safety harnesses (it was pretty greasy up there), and sat right on top! The turbine must be turned off when you go into the nacelle, and from the one hour of down-time during our tour, it could have produced enough electricity to run my apartment for an entire year! It was incredible to get up close to a wind turbine in operation – you really get a sense of just how much power they are generating.”
The North American campus-based movement, EnergyAction, has brought thousands of students, faculty, and administrators together to move colleges and universities steadily into a sustainable energy direction, both practically and philosophically. If you are a student or professor/instructor who cares about sustainable energy solutions, this is a network worth joining!
Scott Beatty, Mech. Engineer, U. of Victoria/SyncWave Energy (www.syncwaveenergy.com) (www.IESVic.uvic.ca)
“The opportunity to work on an emerging renewable energy technology, as a university student, has been very exciting. The great thing about developing and researching renewable energy systems from the academic perspective is that I really have the best supervision possible. Rather than be overrun by the short-term demands of time and cost constraints in an industrial setting, I can properly solve problems and make well guided decisions with the support I need. The quality and impact of my work has improved immensely.”
“The system is composed of two large floating bodies. When sized properly, these floating bodies will oscillate out of phase with eachother in response to the ocean waves. Our technology harnesses the energy available by driving a generator using this relative motion. In addition, we have developed a control system that allows us to adjust the motion of the bodies in order to maximize power delivery for the range of different wave heights and frequencies that occur in the ocean.”
Kai Taylor, Energy Alternatives: 
A couple days in the life of a project manager in the renewable energy sector. Or more specifically, a project of a project manager. Finally, a ferry reservation that pays off, but I get ahead of myself. A day of phone calls to confirm details of the installation. Including, location, and specs associated with the roof and type of solar racks to be used. This is a 1 to 2 day install with possible rain (hope not). My function is project manger/roofer/tech joe boy. It is a two person install with, in my opinion, one of the most experienced techs in Canada. It has been a typical shop day dealing with project details and calls to organize pick ups of supplies and the hundred and one things that always seem to need attending to in a small company. Heading over to the mainland from Vancouver Island at the end of the work day for an early start in the AM. Glad I got that ferry reservation or I’d be sitting in the parking lot for another 2 hours.
7 AM wake up. Meet tech, and get food and coffee in belly. Almost awake. 8:30 Meet client and discuss specs of the project and locations of the rack mounts. 9:30 unload gear, set up ladders, determine rafter locations, and mount the racks. Mounting racks includes all kinds of roofing fun. Nothing like drilling holes in a roof to freak a client out, fortunately for them in another life I was a roofer. Lunch at a lovely Asian greasy spoon that has cheap tasty food and great carrot/celery/ginger shakes. After lunch we attach the panels to the racks and I start assisting the technician in laying out monitoring equipment and all the hardware associated with this particular install. It is a bit of a slow go at first because this install is rather unique. It’s a monitoring site to determine the efficiencies of different brands of solar panels. Hence the amount of controllers and wiring in about 6 times what it should be. Always handy having one of the most experienced techs in the business on hand to figure all this out.
5:30 PM Quit.Beer/wine, chit chat.Great thai food.Sleep. 7AM Wake upmore great Chinese greasy spoon food, won’t have to worry about being hungry for hours.By 8 am we are on the roof and working. Begin running multiple wires for each independent panel required monitoring and controlling equipment. Custom-make a box to house the dump loads, and hump the batteries up onto the roof. Starts raining. Run ground wires and data cables, and start tying in all the cables to the main combiner box. Starts to really rain. Begins to feel a bit dangerous on the roof and so we decide to call it a day since we are wet and tired. Forecast is for sun in the morning. 4PM Quit. The tech will return in the am to finish up the install and I head back to the Island since my services are no longer required. Nothing left but the paperwork, billing and invoicing. Fun.
